Rook Bluegrass
"I like being alone. At least, I convinced myself that I'm better off that way. And then I met someone, while I was part of the Jedi, of all times. She changed me. And then she left... We're better off alone. We suffer alone. Doesn't matter if you're a model citizen, or Jedi of the year. Tomorrow will be the same for you." -Rook Bluegrass Rook Bluegrass, commonly known as Bob or by his title "The Gray Crusader" was the de facto leader of the New Clone Paradigm and a powerful Force user. Born from the splicing of DNA between the Mandalorian Jango Fett and the Miralukan Krath Bluegrass in a project called Project Crusader, Rook took the form of a human and was trained under a Cuy'val Dar named John Bralor. Rook trained under the Jedi Master Alia Orion, but during a controversial period of turmoil, Rook abandoned the New Jedi Order and, with the aid of a Sith Lord named Darth Death, managed to found a new government named the New Clone Paradigm, stationed on a newly discovered world called Saoirse. Over the years, Rook had encountered many enemies from the Sith Lord Darth Rodrack, to the Abominor Fleet. Through these conflicts, Rook gained the strength not achieved since Luke Skywalker, and became known as one of the most powerful Gray Jedi in the galaxy. Biography Clone Wars and Exile Rook was born from the splicing of DNA between the Mandalorian Jango Fett and the Miralukan Krath Bluegrass in a project called Project Crusader, taking the form of a human, rather than expressing many Miralukan traits, including the lack of eyes. Project Crusader was discontinued after three subjects were made, the first two dying in the Clone Wars and leaving only Rook, using his Force capabilities to his advantage, became known as one of the greatest soldiers in the Republic army, gaining the respect and admiration of many admirals and Jedi. Rook was not unfallible however. Rook was assured that Karcen Bluegrass, one of his two brothers, had the possibility to be saved by a Jedi Master named Alia Orion, but instead the Master let him die. Enraged, Rook confronted him and accussed him of treason. However, the Jedi Council did not believe his claims, and to bury the possible controversy he could stir with his accusations, was ordered to command security near the Senate building. This lead him to his mission on Felucia with Jenisa Mo'Cege and Bryan Ermadi, two Jedi Padawans. With his help, the Jedi took the cortosis foundry hosted by the Separatists, and paved the way for other Jedi to invade the planet. Days later, everything became so much more complicated. Rook was contacted by Chancellor Palpatine- soon to be declared Emperor Palpatine- and was instructed with carrying out Order 66. Rook had little allegiance to the Republic, and maintained ambitions for forming his own government, and combined with his growing feelings for Jen, he could not fulfill the Order. However, to keep the Empire from scouring the planet for their vengeance, Rook used the Force to conceal the truth as he informed the Emperor that the Jedi had been killed in the battle, along with the rest of the unit. The Emperor, whilst suspicious, accepted the story, and Rook returned to his friends in exile. Troubles with The Empire The exile on Felucia lasted for eighteen years, leading to Rook and Jen to develop a romantic relationship while Jen taught him the ways of the Force. Rook continued to plan the groundworks for his government, but maintained to his girlfriend that they were merely ideas that would never come to light. However, all three of them there could sense the future, and knew that the NCP would become real one day. However, everything took a turn for the worst. Imperial probe droids scoured the galaxy, looking for any signs of the last Jedi in an effort to finish the Jedi Purge. One such droid landed on Felucia, and transmitted their coordinates to Moff Ardus Aran, a respected officer in the Empire just beneath the rankings of Grand Moff Tarkin. With permission from Darth Vader, Aran took his personal unit to Felucia and landed right in the middle of their camp. Astonished by their discovery, Rook hadn't had proper time to hide, and was discovered along with the rest of his group. Rebellion and The Jedi Rook was forced into serving the Empire as a Force-sensitive assassin, trained in killing Jedi. As well, Rook's technical mind was employed in the development of the first Assertor-class Star Dreadnoughts, including the Archangel which remained as his home and prison for the duration of his enslavement. Rook participated in the Great Jedi Purge through killing many hidden Jedi, including a Twi'lek Jedi who eventually gave him the inspiration for the development of the New Clone Paradigm, as well as access to Kamino. Rook changed sides however when he was sent to The Redemption, an Alliance Nebulon frigate where the last of the Old Republic Jedi were believed to have been stationed, lead by Jedi Master Alia Orion. Rook smuggled himself aboard through a deployment of cargo crates, and intended to detonate and sabotage the vessel through detpacks and permacrete detonators. His explosives were discovered however, and in a fit of desperation, brought his full arsenal to the bridge and attempted to kill Orion and his Jedi Knights. He had no intention of surviving the battle, hoping the Jedi would kill him and end his servitude. However, he was spared and locked away in the brig, where Orion and Zienna Mo'Cege, a female Twi'lek Jedi Knight, interrogated him for information. Rook told them of his mission and his enslavement, and Orion promised Rook Jen's safety if he aided them in their fight against the Empire, specifically against Aran and his new dreadnought. Rook agreed and traveled with Orion to the Archangel, where they successfully killed Aran and conquered the dreadnought, gifting it to Rook as a prize along with the Mandalorian ship they took to land there, the Prospect. Throughout the Galactic Civil War, Rook trained as a Jedi underneath Orion when Rook told him of his Force sensitivity. Rook however, merely wanted to learn the ways of the Force, not specifically the ways of the Jedi, intending to one day split away from the Jedi and start his own government. Rook reconsidered after he met May Shan, a Jedi Master and married her, thinking that he may be forced to stay due to her influence. Barriss Offee and Darth Death Rook stayed on at the Jedi Praxeum at Yavin IV, eventually being promoted to Jedi Knight status from Luke Skywalker. Rook continued to struggle with the idea of remaining a Jedi for the rest of his life, but when his wife spoke of having children and starting a new life away from conflict, he knew he was trapped in the teachings of the Jedi. That all changed however, when Barriss Offee, a Mirialan ex-Jedi Knight was discovered in the forests of Yavin, still infamous from her participation in the bombing of the Jedi Temple during the Clone Wars. Rook was tasked to find and arrest her by Orion, and was partnered with an odd, mistrusted Jedi named Beroya Shan, the brother of his wife. While the two scoured the forest for the dark Jedi, Beroya spoke of his disturbing childhood with nostalgia and pleasure, seemingly enjoying the traumas he suffered as a child. The two eventually found Barriss, who claimed that Beroya intended to kill her. Rook didn't believe her and convinced her to surrender, sending her back to the Praxeum as Beroya asked Rook to call him "Death." Rook didn't hear from Beroya for many weeks until his wife informed him that he was missing after traveling to Korriban. The two, with the blessing of Luke and Orion, went to Korriban in search of Beroya. After scouring the Valley of the Dark Lords, the two came across Beroya near the tomb of Ajunta Pall, claiming that that a Sith spirit had claimed this valley and his mind. He referred to the spirit as "Rodrack" and stated that it showed him the true nature of the Force. Beroya then ignited a newly-constructed crimson lightsaber and assaulted his sister and brother-in-law, claiming to be the new Dark Lord "Darth Death." However, when he seemed to have won the fight, he was hit in the chest with a Force push and sent flying down into a chasm, where he was impaled upon a stalagmite. The two returned to Yavin IV in tears, regretful of the actions they forced upon their friend. Luke and Orion comforted them, but to no avail. Rook spent the time drinking it away, while his wife sat in their room, crying it away. However, May was assaulted in her room by Barriss Offee, who seemingly escaped her imprisonment and attempted to assassinate her. However, she fled the scene when she believed May to be dead, stealing a freighter and escaping the system. Rook swore to end the dark Jedi's life, and abandoned his wife and the Jedi, leaving to Coruscant for information from a Trandoshan friend and information broker named Byager. Byager gave Rook the coordinates of Barriss apartment, and Rook burst into her room in rage, possibly hallucinating from his anger. He easily bested her in combat and prepared to execute her, only to be halted from his wife and Orion. The two pleaded with Rook to abandon the execution and come back to the Jedi, but Rook stated he was too far gone, and tried once more to kill Barriss. However, Orion placed his lightsaber blade at May's throat, claiming Rook was not too far gone as to not care about his wife. Rook, in rage, threw his lightsaber at Orion's shoulder, allowing Barriss to escape and cutting through the top portion of his flesh. Orion retreated for the time being, and Rook embraced his wife. May, wondering what was going to happen next, was not content with the answer when Rook said that they were going to war. Rook, taking the Prospect and abandoning the planet, planned to find a Sith Lord a probe tracked on Tion, in hopes of gaining an ally in the valuable war. Reconstructing the probe into an HK-51 husk and adding additional programs that gave the droid sentience, he discovered the location of the Sith Lord and gained a valuable friend, named TT-48. Rook traveled to Lehon where the Sith Lord was stationed, and discovered that the Sith Lord was in fact Darth Death, reconstructed by his Master with a set of Sith Stalker armor. Hesitant to ally himself with someone who had just tried to kill him, Death argued that he never wanted to kill his sister or Rook, claiming that he merely needed to set the two on a path that would lead them to him. Rook hesitantly offered an alliance, and Death enthuastically accepted, naming Rook "Darth Vindictum" Lord of Vengeance. Duel Sith War The Duel Sith War had begun. Death procured a massive fleet of mercenaries, pirates and ex-Imperial soldiers, tasked with assaulting New Republic worlds as well as the intention of assassinating the last of the Jedi. Rook had little interest in the total destruction of the Jedi, and merely wanted the deaths of Barriss and Orion, along with finally establishing the New Clone Paradigm. This war was merely a distraction to hide those intentions; the reason why Rook refused to spearhead assaults on non-Jedi worlds. The first assault Rook orchestrated and was the vanguard of was the Assault on Kamino, occurring two months after the first shots were fired. Rook lead a contingent of mercenaries to Timira City, where he easily overrun the small Imperial garrison there. Rook finally revealed his first true soldiers, the first true members of the New Clone Paradigm. Revealing his plan to a squad of shocked storm troopers, Rook told them that he spliced his DNA with that of his wife, and had been cloning an army underneath the noses of the Imperial moffs since his enslavement at the hands of Ardus Aran. Revealing the first "paradigm clones," including Gorjun Wilson, Admiral Raider and Commander Knighthawk, Rook ordered them to execute the storm troopers. Force-sensitive, flash-trained and deadly, the first paradigm clones easily disposed of the storm troopers protecting the cloning facility. Rook unleashed all of his army that he had been cloning for years, as well as the Rothana ships he had constructed for his army, conquering Timira City and using it as a launch pad for campaigns across the entire planet. Rook finally ordered the bulk of his forces to take Tipoca City, which fell within the hour of shots being fired. Alerted to the slaughter, a seemingly redeemed and regretful Barriss Offee, contacted her friend Zienna Mo'Cege in the hopes that she could stop the massacre that was taking place on Kamino. Zienna wasn't sure of Barriss' intentions and went to Kamino herself to confirm these allegations, only to be captured on Kamino along with Barriss. Meanwhile, Rook began to suffer hallucinations of old friends long dead, which he believed was due to stress. Gorjun however convinced Rook to check with the Kaminoan records to see if there were any complications of Project Crusader, the project responsible for Rook's creation. Rook easily sliced into the Kaminoan records and discovered the reason Project Crusader was cancelled was that the subjects were mentally unstable, suffering from schizophrenia and psychosis due to the splicing of DNA between Jango Fett and a Miraluka, the reason for Rook's Force sensitivity. Shocked and appalled with this knowledge, Rook attempted to shrug it off and focused on other things, including the discovery of the "Crusader" armor, a set of armor designed by Kaminoan Armorsmiths specifically for those made from Project Crusader. The armor was seemingly a modernized version of Revan's Armor, with inspirations being drawn from standard clone trooper armor as well as Katarn commando armor. Records stated that whoever wore the armor were forced to undergo implants from the first outfitting for the full extent of usage, a procedure that would most certainly end in death if the user did not have the exact DNA that was used in Project Crusader. Even then, the procedure was a risk. Attempting to distract himself by his recent revelation, Rook decided to have the Crusader armor placed on him, despite the dangers. He ordered Knighthawk and TT-48 to bring Barriss and Zienna to the chamber where he was being equipped, so that they could watch Rook become something greater. Forcing them to observe the implants flood his body, Barriss and Zienna embraced their friendship for comfort. Rook rose from the chamber with his new armor, completely infused with it. The implants now functioning properly within his bloodstream, Rook could use the armor whenever he wished, without fear of someone else using it against him. Under the title "The Grey Crusader" Rook ordered Zienna and Barriss to be taken to his ship, while he was informed that Orion had fallen for the bait and had landed on Tipoca City in the hopes of retrieving the two Jedi. Rook initiated a duel with Orion on the Kaminoan walkways, and only failed to kill him due to Zienna's intervention, allowing all three Jedi to escape the planet and hide out on a hidden Jedi Temple on Tython, although Rook tracked them there. Launching the New Clone Paradigm fleet, Rook invaded the Jedi Temple, slaughtering all Jedi there in the hopes of recovering Barriss and Orion. Unfortunately again, Orion and Barriss escaped, along with Zienna who lost her lekku to Rook's blade, although every other Jedi there died. This massacre was henceforth referred to the Massacre at Tython, which left a permanent Force nexus from the dead Jedi spirits. Final Battle At Rakata Prime Judgement Saoirse The Garg War Yuuzhan Vong Invasion and Javen Gallantara Jaina Solo Final Duel with Alia Orion Personality and Traits "I like being alone. At least, I convinced myself that I'm better off that way. And then I met someone, while I was part of the Jedi, of all times. She changed me. And then she left... We're better off alone. We suffer alone. Doesn't matter if you're a model citizen, or Jedi of the year. Tomorrow will be the same for you." "Stand upon the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters." Rook Bluegrass Rook hated all life, and mistrusted everyone he met. This was due to the fact that he had been betrayed by everyone; his brother, his wife, and his son. The only people he bonded with were his close friends, such as Javen and Jaina Gallantara, Jenisa Mo'Cege, Kolard Bralor and TT-48. Even when he spoke to his friends, he spoke to them with arrogance and sarcasm, implying that he didn't even truly like them. Rook was especially addicted to conflict, believing it to be the main source for evolution in life. The weak die, the strong flourish. Although this mentality seemed slightly Sith-like, Rook maintained that the Sith killed for killings-sake, while he killed and fought so that he and his friends could grow. He stated that he did not enjoy killing, and that every death he caused leaves a burden on his soul. Rook was the only atheistic Force user in the galaxy, believing the Force had no soul or consciousness and reduced it's power in his mind to a mere tool, not unlike a hydrospanner or blaster. Rook believed that the Force was merely an element of the universe, and could be harnessed like any other element. Although many Jedi and Sith disagree with his assertions, this lead to his Gray Jedi status which allowed him to use both light and dark powers. __FORCETOC__